Guy-clamp.



H. W. PLEISTEH.

GUY CLAMP.

APPLICATlON FILED MAY 1a. 2917.

1,288,176. I Patented Dec. 17, 1918. I F g f1.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. W. PLEl-STER.

GUY CLAMP.

APPLICATiON FILED MAY 18. I917.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 UNITED srarns HENRY W. PLEISTER, OF wnsrrrnnn, NEW JERSEY, AssrGNoRao HENRY B. NEWHALL;

" ear 1- oFruioE.

HENRY B. NEWHALL, JR, nxacuroa cream HENRY s. NEWHALL, DECEASED.

euy cnnmr.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

Application filed May 18, 1917. Serial No. 169.602.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY WfPLEIs'rER, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVestfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guy-Clamps, of which the following is a specification, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to guy clamps, and more particularly to such guy clamps as are used in telephone and telegraph installations. The advantages of my invention will be more fully hereinafter pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals refer to similar parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through my improved guy clamp before cooperating with a messenger;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through my giy clamp showing' it coiperating with a messenger and showing the curve of the weakened portions, -somewhat exaggerated for the purpose of clearer illustration;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 4 showing the guy clamp and the supplemental bridging members and bolts;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of my guy clamp complete with the supplemental bridging members in position;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig.4;

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical section'on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4 and Fig. 3;

8 is a side elevation of the threaded bridging member.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the unthreaded bridging member.

The common practice of running messenger strands between poles. upto a comparatively recent date, was to take the end which would not reach to the next pole.known among the linemen as the dead end, and wrap it around the last pole reached. This caused a loss of from approximatelv ten to one hundred feet of most expensive wire messenger strand.

In the new practice the messenger strand is continued without wrappingor-other-interruption by means of connections should the end of messenger strand not extend to the next pole. The free end of the messenger strand is bent back on itself forming an eye (not shown) which engages the end .of the next stretch of messenger.

The end of'the messenger which isbent back is secured by means of several guy clamps to obtain the necessary holding capacity. The slip-ping of the guy clamps is very dangerous for the reason that it may occur when a lineman is in a boatswains seat between poles causing loss of life. Or if the uy clampis used to brace a pole the guy clampmight slip when the pole is under heavy wind or sleet pressure permitting the pole and wires to fall. For these-reasons a plurality of ordinary guy clamps have to be used for each connection which necessitates an addit onal outlay and additional labor in installing them. Ordinarily a plurality of standard guy clamps are used oneach interlocking end of the strand.

Where the exact ultimate strain, that will be placed upon the guy clamp is known. at the time of its original installation. a clamp of the requisite holding capacity will be permanently used. In actual practice, however, it is difficult and often impossible to forecast for a period of months or years the exact ultimate strain that will be thrown upon any part of the installation including the guy clamps. When additional wires or cables are mounted upon a previously equipped installation new and additional strains are thrown upon that installation. These have to be compensated for immediately for there is danger of'an accident due to a storm or other strains. In cases where a greater load is developed. after the initial installation. additional guy clamps have to be mounted provided there is a sufficient length of the dead end of the messenger leftin reserve. Incases 'where there'is not a sufiicien't length ofthe, messenger to permit the installation of additional guy clamps, .it is necessary to take the work down entirely and replace it with a heavier construction. All this requires a great amount of labor and expense.

By my invention I avoid this, labor and expense. By using that portion of my guy clamp minus the. supplemental bridging members and bolts. the clamp will perform its ordinary function of taking the original initial strain upon the messenger. After aperiod of months or years should any aditional strains and stresses be thrown upon we no additional length of dead endof the messenger to install them.

The whole additional load can be instantly compensated 1 for, at the minimum expense of material and labor, supplemental clamping members to my guy clamp as originally installed. Of course, where it is desirable for any reason to'ini tially install a powerful guy clamp, of approximately double the holding capacity of an ordinary guy clamp, my guy clamp may be mounted, with its supplemental clamping members, on the original installation of the sy'stem, such an instance, for example, may occur in practice where the dead end-of the messenger is short and will not permit of more thanone guy clamp.

[In the form of my invention shown in the drawings, my guy clamp 1 consists of the clamping member 2 having the unthreaded bosses 3, 3 and the weakened portions 4:, 4-. The clamping member 5 is provided with the screw threaded bosses 6, 6 and also with weakened portions 7, 7. These weakened portions may be formed in different ways. 1 preferably form them concave. In the weakened portion 4, a of the member 2, I arrange the openings 8, 8 and in the weakened portioni, 7 of the clamping member 5, complementary alined openings 3, 9. These openings 8 and t serve to further weaken the weakened portions 4 and K, respectively, save metah and also permit the passage of the supplemental clamping bolts to be hereinafter referred to. The bosses 6, 6 are provided with interior screw threads 10, to cooperate with the bolts 11, 11.

When my guy clamp is used with the messenger 12 uponthe original installation, that g is, assuming that the supplemental clamping members are not used on the original installation, though ofcourse in many instances they may he,the messenger is clamped in the grooves 13, l3'of the clamping members 2 and The bolts 11, 11 under service conditions each develop ap proximately sixteen thousand pounds ten sile strain, which of course requires the use of a very heavy wrench to cooperate with the heads 1%, 14. i g i The messenger strand 12 will be powerthat portion of the clamp ing members 2 and 5, adjacent to the respective bolts 11, 11. There will not be or for any other reasons, the addi-- the bolts 11, 11.

by simply adding the such a powerful tensile strain upon the messenger 12 at points lyingbetween the bolts 11, 11. The weakened portions permit the metal of the clamping members and 5 to yield or spring slightly between larly in Fig. 2, the yielding of the metal at the weakened portions is exaggerated for the purpose of clearer illustration. Under ordinary service conditions my guy clamp may be usedas illustrated in Fig. 2.

Entliose cases, however, where additional 4 and 7' In the drawings, particle strains are thrown upon the systemafter the original installation, theseadditlonal strains I can-be instantly compensatedfor by adding to-my guy clamp previously installed, supple .lhlltttl clamping members. These supleinental clamping membersmayeof course,

be variously formed. For purposes of illustration, I have shown these supplemental clampingmembers as bridging members 15, it and a bolt 17. The bridging member' lo provided withan openinglSiorthe free passage of the bolt:-l7,- while thebridging member 15 is provided with interior screw threads 19' to cooperate with the screw threads of the bolt 17.. By mounting two sets of these bridging members inihe'openlugs hand 9, the metal of the clamping memhere 2 and 5 at the weakened portions 4 and 7, wili be bent back and madeto grip the.

messenger strand 12 with the same force as it is gripped immediately adjacent to the bolts 11,11.- Due to the yieldingiof the nietahby the use-of this weakened port-ion, this additional clamping ofthekinessenger will not weaken or relax the compression-of the 'bpltsul', =11 alreadyginstalled. r

Eli-ave found in. practice that-thebest :re-' suits are obtalned byproviding the bridge.

members. 15 and 16' with substantially concave surfaces 20,21 so asto throwtitheir bearing surfaces 22, 22 in substantial aline ment with the axis of the messenger strand 12. 'While this is the preferred construction ii is of course to be. understood that any other form of supplemental clamping member can be used. 3

When my guy clamp is originally installed the heads of the bolts 14,14 lie on one side oi the clamp withflan adequate space be tween them for the manipulation of the powerful wrench which is required in 'practice. When the supplemental? clamping members. are'positioned, I place the heads so that they can be'readily' manipulated by the same large wrench. Theclamping members it, 16 are preferably of suflicient thickness or height to insure that theheadsQ-TE. 23 of the supplemental bolts willlie in a difi'erout horizontal plane from the euds24 2 l of the bolts l1, 11 so as to permit nianipulationof the heads 23, 23 by the large wrench necessary'in.thisworkt on the oppositeiside' of the guy clamp;

the ready The supplemental clamping members 15 and 16 together with their bolt 17, may be sold as separate articles of manufacture, or my guy clamp may be sold equipped with the supplemental clamping members. These members as well as the clamping member-s 2 and 3 of my guy clamp, are preferably made ol malleable iron.

By the use of my guy clamp the engineers installing the system need not specify guy clamps of the greatest holding capacity,

-great-ly in excess of the then requirements.

They can use a cheaper and lighter guy clamp. amply sutlicient for their present needs. knowing that later, if the load is greatly increased, the additional strains on the guy clamps can be instantly taken care o1 by the con'iparatively inexpensive supplemental clamping members, which can be used at the minimum expense of time and labor. This will reduce the cost of original installation.

Having thus described this invention in connection with illustrative embodiments thereof, to the details of which do not desire to be limitechwhat Is claimed as new and What I desire to secure by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as my-invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A guy clamp formed of a plurality of clamping members, means to clamp said members together, and one or more registering openings in said clamping members intermediate said clamping means.

A guy clamp formed of a plurality of clamping members, means to clamp said members together, one or more registering openings in said clamping members, and supplemental clamping means adapted to cooperate with said registering openings.

- 3. A guy clamp formed of a plurality of clamping members, means to clamp said members together, one or more registering openings in said clamping members, and supplemental members and bolts adapted to cooperate with said registering openings.

a. The combination in a guy clamp of a clamping member having a plurality of openings for the free passage. of bolts, a clamping member having screwthreaded bosses, bolts to cooperate with said openings and serewthreaded bosses, said clai'nping members being provided with additional registering openings.

The combination in a guy clamp of a clamping member having a plurality of openings for the free passage of bolts. a clamping member having screwthreaded bosses, bolts to cooperate with said openings and screwthreaded bosses, said clamping members being provided with additional registering openings and supplemental clamping means cooperating with said additional registering openings.

6. The combination in a guy clamp of a clamping member having a plurality of openings for the free passage of bolts, a clamping member having screwthreaded bosses, bolts to cooperate with said openings and screwthreaded bosses, said clamping members being provided with additional registering openings and supplemental mem bers and bolts cooperating with said addi tional registering openings.

7. The combination in a guy clamp of a clamping member having a plurality of openings for the free passage of bolts, a clamping member having screwthreaded bosses, bolts to cooperate with said openings and screwthreaded bosses, said clamping members being provided with additional registering openings, and supplemental bridging members and bolts cooperating with said additional registering openings.

8. The combination in a guy clamp of two clamping members provided with grooves to receive a messenger and also provided with means to clamp said clamping members to said messenger, of weakening portions between saidclamping means including alined openings through said clamping members.

9. The combination in a guy clamp of two clamping members provided with grooves to receive a messenger and also provided with means to clamp said clamping members to said messenger, of'weakening portions between said clamping means including alined openings through said clamping members, supplemental bridging members adapted to bear directly above the grooves in the clamping members to exert the full power of the supplemental bolts directly in line of the axis of the grooves which contain the messenger strand and supplemental bolts cooperating with the bridging members.

10. In a guy clamp the combination of two clamping members, having weakening portions, means to clamp the clamping members together, and supplemental clamping means to clamp the weaken portions of the clamping members.

11. In a guy clamp the combination of two clamping members having weaken portions provided with alined openings. means to clamp the clamping members together and supplemental bridging members and bolts to clamp the weaken portions of the clamping members.

12. A guy clamp composed of two major clamping members, and provided with auxiliary reinforcing clamping members to increase the compression of the sides.

13. In a guy clamp the combination of a plurality of clamping members of the required length to give the requisite holding capacity for normal strains, means to clamp said members together to obtain the requisite holding capacity for normal strains, and additional clamping means operating on same clamping members to give the requisite holding canacity for abnormal strains.

14;. In a guy clamp the combination of a plurality of clamping members of the required length to give the requisite holding capacity for normal strains, bolts toelamp said members together to obtain the requisite holding capacity for normal strains, and additional bolts operating, on the same clamp- 10 ing members to give the requisite holding of the other bolts to permit engagement by V a suitable tool.

HENRY W. PLEISTER.

Witnesses:

A. M. WILLIAMS, M. R, RYAN.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 29. 3. 

